Jones Recognized as Master Instructor
Pictured from left, Director of Nursing, Tywana Lawson; NCC President, Dr. Lew Hunnicutt; Nursing Instructor, Melissa Jones; and NCC Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Tammie Clark.
Nash Community College recognized a member of its nursing faculty, Melissa Jones, as a new inductee into the Master Instructors for Higher Education class on Thursday, September 10, 2020. The Master Instructor designation was developed to identify Nash Community College instructors who exemplify excellence in three performance standards: educational professionalism, leadership and collaboration, and responsibility for student learning.
Jones earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at East Carolina University. She graduated from Mansfield University with a Master of Science degree in Nursing. She holds board certification for Gerontological Medical Surgical Nursing and is a Certified Nurse Educator.
In 2019, Melissa Jones received the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award and was a nominee for the J. Edgar and Peggie T. Moore Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017 and 2019.
Master Instructors are lifelong learners who have dedicated themselves to excellence in their teaching profession as well as in their professional affiliations. The candidates seeking the Master Instructor in Higher Education credential develop a professional portfolio of analysis, evidence, and reflection related to the three performance standards. They also address the integration of the standards in a comprehensive reflection essay.
“As a nursing instructor, it is vital to incorporate strategies to not only keep students engaged but to help them develop the clinical thinking skills they need to be successful nurses,” Jones said. “My career as a nursing educator continues to be one of the most valuable and rewarding experiences of my professional career.”
Jones is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Nursing Practice at Gardner-Webb University and plans to graduate in the summer of 2021. “This journey has impacted my professional paradigm by making me take a step back and genuinely reflect on my contributions to the students and to this organization,” Jones shared. “Sometimes we get so caught up in ‘doing’ that we lose sight of how valuable our contributions are to the students, the organization, and beyond.”
The Master Instructor constantly and consistently reflects upon their practice to ensure academic excellence and improvement for themselves, their peers, colleagues, and the college. They take responsibility for the progress of all Nash Community College students to ensure they graduate and are competitive in the workplace. Master Instructors strive to improve campus-wide classroom instruction by creating a positive working environment and sharing best practices with colleagues. They know how to engage students, keeping them actively involved and motivated in the classroom, and are able to gauge students’ understanding of content and organize instruction to meet instructional goals.
